All posts tagged Lynyrd Skynyrd

After sailing along successfully with 52 concerts over seven years, the Mad Decent Block Party is going to sea. A floating version of the traveling DJ and dance music festival ships out from Miami next weekend on a four-day cruise to the Bahamas and back. Some 2,300 passengers will share the Norwegian Pearl with 52 performers, such as Diplo, Major Lazer, Flosstradamus and Zed’s Dead.

Concert cruises are not for the casual fan. Passengers pay between $600 and $3,000 per ticket to leave their landlubbing lives for an endurance event of booze and buffets in close quarters with their favorite acts. In the next month alone, Sixthman, the company chartering the Mad Decent Boat Party, also has cruises scheduled for Florida Georgia Line, Lynyrd Skynyrd and a Grammy-branded, all-female lineup including Heart and Indigo Girls. A Kiss Kruise (the fourth) set sail Friday. Read More »

Country star Brad Paisley and rapper LL Cool J were the hot topic on social media on Monday after releasing a new collaboration titled “Accidental Racist.” The song tells the story of a white man apparently mistaken for being a racist because of an affinity for confederate flag t-shirts, which he calls a tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song also tells the tale of a black, gold-chain sporting, baggy jeans wearing young man who is apparently pre-judged because of his clothing. LL Cool J raps at one point, “If you don’t judge my gold chains, I’ll forget the iron chains.” Online reaction was harsh, with many critics calling the tune misguided, simplistic and worse. Comic Patton Oswalt’s twitter posted the note: “I can’t wait for Brad Paisley & LL Cool J’s next single: “Whoopsy Daisy, Holocaust, My Bad”" It’s clear that Paisley was seeking to get tongues wagging. On Twitter, the country musician’s Twitter feed posted the message “I hope the album rocks you,soothes you,raises questions,answers,evokes feelings, all the way through until Officially Alive.” Share your thoughts, Speakeasy readers. Did Paisley and LL fix race relations?

So,as you buy this album,I hope it triggers emotions. I hope you feel joy,heartache,triumph,surprise; you laugh,cry,nudge someone beside you

Many music lovers have applauded Lynyrd Skynyrd’s move to disassociate itself from the confederate flag, but some of the southern rock band’s fans have been upset by the shift. The group behind the song “Sweet Home Alabama” has removed the presence of the flag from much of its stage show. “Through the years, people like the KKK and skinheads and people have kinda kidnapped the Dixie or rebel flag from the Southern tradition and the heritage of the soldiers, you know, that’s what it was about and they kind of made it look kind of bad in certain ways,” Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington told CNN. “We didn’t want that to go to our fans or show the image like we agreed with any of the race stuff or any of the bad things.” In one forum, a fan wrote, “well they just turned their backs on their core group of fans, that will really help sell out show.” Another fan wrote, “they’re going to have problems playing in the South after caving like that. I won’t be there anymore.” Many other fans are backing the band. A supporter of the group recently tweeted “Last Of A Dyin’ Breed stoutly keeps the flag flying of everything Lynyrd @Skynyrd represent, past, present.” (The group’s most recent album is titled “Last of a Dyin’ Breed.”) Another said “If you’re upset that Lynyrd Skynyrd denounced the Confederate flag, then you’re 1) an idiot; 2) educational level below 7th grade; 3) bigot .” Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.